Program areas at Life Lab Science Program
Local School Site Programs: Life Lab provides garden classroom instruction, design, garden care, curriculum, teacher training, and program leadership and advisory support to school districts and their public elementary schools in Santa Cruz County, particularly in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District through an extensive program partnership. Life Lab is also supporting garden-based learning in Live Oak School District and Santa Cruz City Schools, with a long-term vision of closer partnership with all 10 local districts and their 40 total elementary schools.(continued on schedule o)
Regional School Site Programs: Life Lab serves as the fiscal sponsor for Growing Healthy Kids, an unincorporated community-based organization providing unique outdoor educational learning opportunities to over 10,000 students at 16 schools throughout the Mt Diablo Unified School District in Bay Point, Clayton, Concord, Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek, CA. Growing Healthy Kids shares Life Labs mission of cultivating childrens love of learning, healthy food and nature through garden education, and a commitment to equity and inclusion so that all cultures and identities are respected and celebrated.
National Programs: Life Lab offers hands-on workshops on garden-based science, nutrition, and environmental education for educators from across the nation at its Garden Classroom in Santa Cruz, CA, and on demand around the U.S. It also offers a 16-week intensive Certified School Garden Educator course of virtual trainings, coaching, and peer sharing for participants across the country. Life Lab also hosts an annual national School Garden Support Organization Leadership Institute in partnership with Whole Kids Foundation to help teams from peer organizations share and advance best practices for the field. Life Lab develops and distributes curricula, activity guides and other learning materials nationally to support preK-6 teachers in successfully implementing hands-on garden-based education programs. (continued on Schedule O)